Vanity Fair will close Jackson, Monroeville factories in August

Fruit of the Loom Inc. has set Aug. 21 as the closing date
for its Vanity Fair Brands dye plant in Monroeville and its
knitting plant in Jackson, the company said.

The company had announced plans a year ago to close its last
manufacturing operations in southwest Alabama sometime
before the end of 2009. At the time, it said it was getting
out of fabric manufacturing because of increased global
competition.

John Shivel, a Fruit of the Loom executive based at company
headquarters in Bowling Green, Ky., said the closing date
was based on "operational requirements." The
company filed notice with the state earlier this week.

The Monroeville plant has 141 employees, down from 180 a
year ago. The Jackson plant has 69 employees, down from 90.

Vanity Fair will continue to operate a distribution center
in Monroeville, which it expanded after the closing of a
warehouse in Mission, Texas. Shivel said he didn't know
if any workers at the dye and knitting plants would be able
to find jobs there. The Monroeville distribution center has
about 500 employees, according to local officials.

Fruit of the Loom is a unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the
Nebraska conglomerate led by billionaire investor Warren
Buffett. Original owner VF Corp. sold its intimate apparel
business to Fruit of the Loom in 2007 for $350 million.

Vanity Fair began manufacturing in Jackson and Monroeville
in 1937. The company was long a cornerstone employer in
Monroeville, helping the city grow to its current population
of about 6,400.

Wiley Blankenship, executive director of Coastal Gateway
Economic Development Authority, said his multi-county group,
along with local leaders, was trying to help the area
diversify its economy away from its traditional reliance on
wood products and textile and apparel makers.

Southwest Alabama's inland counties, particularly Clarke, Conecuh and Monroe, have been hard hit by layoffs in the current recession. All three rank among the state's 13 worst counties for unemployment rates. "We've got to focus on where the future jobs are and try to figure out how we are going to employ the people who are going to be laid off," Blankenship said....

Vanity Fair will close Jackson, Monroeville factories in August

Fruit of the Loom Inc. has set Aug. 21 as the closing date
for its Vanity Fair Brands dye plant in Monroeville and its
knitting plant in Jackson, the company said.

The company had announced plans a year ago to close its last
manufacturing operations in southwest Alabama sometime
before the end of 2009. At the time, it said it was getting
out of fabric manufacturing because of increased global
competition.

John Shivel, a Fruit of the Loom executive based at company
headquarters in Bowling Green, Ky., said the closing date
was based on "operational requirements." The
company filed notice with the state earlier this week.

The Monroeville plant has 141 employees, down from 180 a
year ago. The Jackson plant has 69 employees, down from 90.

Vanity Fair will continue to operate a distribution center
in Monroeville, which it expanded after the closing of a
warehouse in Mission, Texas. Shivel said he didn't know
if any workers at the dye and knitting plants would be able
to find jobs there. The Monroeville distribution center has
about 500 employees, according to local officials.

Fruit of the Loom is a unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the
Nebraska conglomerate led by billionaire investor Warren
Buffett. Original owner VF Corp. sold its intimate apparel
business to Fruit of the Loom in 2007 for $350 million.

Vanity Fair began manufacturing in Jackson and Monroeville
in 1937. The company was long a cornerstone employer in
Monroeville, helping the city grow to its current population
of about 6,400.

Wiley Blankenship, executive director of Coastal Gateway
Economic Development Authority, said his multi-county group,
along with local leaders, was trying to help the area
diversify its economy away from its traditional reliance on
wood products and textile and apparel makers.

Southwest Alabama's inland counties, particularly Clarke, Conecuh and Monroe, have been hard hit by layoffs in the current recession. All three rank among the state's 13 worst counties for unemployment rates. "We've got to focus on where the future jobs are and try to figure out how we are going to employ the people who are going to be laid off," Blankenship said....